Crystallization kinetics of amorphous alumina–zirconia–silica ceramics

Crystallization kinetics of amorphous alumina–zirconia–silica ceramics was studied by nonisothermal differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Different amorphous materials were produced by plasma spraying of near-eutectic Al2O3–ZrO2–SiO2 mixtures. Phase composition and microstructure of the amorphous materials and nanocrystalline products were analyzed. All of the investigated materials show an exothermic peak between 940 and 990 °C in the DSC experiments. The activation energies calculated from DSC traces decrease with increasing SiO2 concentration. Values of the Avrami coefficients together with results of the microstructural observations indicate that tetragonal zirconia crystallization from materials containing more than 10 wt.% SiO2 proceeds by a diffusion-controlled mechanism with nucleation occurring predominantly at the beginning of the process. In contrast, material with almost no SiO2 exhibited a value of the Avrami exponent consistent with the crystal growth governed by processes at the phase boundary.